All posts by: UMBC News Staff

Anna Shields, MLLI, to Present Talk at the Library of Congress (4/16)

One Who Knows Me Anna ShieldsOn April 16, Anna Shields, associate professor of Chinese, will present a talk on her new book One Who Knows Me: Friendship and Literary Culture in Mid-Tang China (Harvard University Press, 2015). In the book, Shields shares her research on the friendship among writers in the mid-Tang era (780s-820s). According to the book’s website, Shields found that “their texts reveal the ways that friendship intersected the public and private realms of experience and, in the process, reshaped both.”

Professor Shields is the author of another book on medieval Chinese literature: Crafting a Collection: The Cultural Contexts and Poetic Practice of the Collection from among the Flowers (Huajian ji) (Harvard University Asia Center, 2006). She has also written several articles on Tang and Five Dynasties literary writing. She is currently working on a new book project on Five Dynasties and Northern Song representations of Tang dynasty literary culture.

The talk is scheduled for Thursday, April 16 from 12 -1 p.m. in the LC Asian Division Reading Room Foyer – LJ 150. For more information on the book, click here.

Anne Rubin, History, on Tulsa Public Radio

Anne RubinAs the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War approaches, Anne Rubin was a guest on Tulsa Public Radio’s “Studio Tulsa” program on April 1 discussing her book Through the Heart of Dixie: Sherman’s March and American Memory (UNC Press 2014). Rubin, an associate professor of history, shared her research which examined the stories and myths about Sherman’s March to the Sea.

“I started this project really under the spell of the mythologizing of Sherman’s March,” Rubin said, “…so much about what we think of the American Civil War, even today, is very Virginia-centric…and I do think once you shift your perspective outside of Virginia, you start to see how important some of these other campaigns were.”

The interview was the latest in a series of media coverage surrounding Rubin’s book. Previously, she wrote an article for the New York Times “Disunion” blog and appeared on C-SPAN.

In addition to the interview, Rubin spoke about her book at the Tulsa Community College Center for Creativity. To listen to the full interview on Tulsa Public Radio, click here.

Robert Provine, Psychology, in the Baltimore Sun

Robert ProvineIn response to new research from Johns Hopkins University, Psychology Research Professor and Professor Emeritus Robert Provine was interviewed for an article in the Baltimore Sun discussing his research on human social behavior and attractiveness. The Johns Hopkins study found that human perception of attractiveness may be fluid, contagious, and often influenced by what is generally considered attractive by others.

In the article, Provine said that it is fashion that is shifting constantly, rather than an evolutionary standard of beauty in culture. He noted that people don’t realize they are frequently pushed to like something new and different.

“We are not always captain of our ship,” he said. What’s constant across nearly all societies and eras is that “clear eyes, good skin and long, lustrous hair are always signs of beauty,” Provine added.

“They are reliable, honest signals because they are hard to change,” he said. “When has disease, red, runny eyes, hair that’s falling out and skin lesions been attractive? Ultimately, beauty is a matter of good health and the evolutionary product of likely reproductive success. There is nothing arbitrary about beauty.”

To read the full article titled “Beauty is in the shifting eye of the beholder,” click here.

Mill Stories to be Screened at International Film Festivals

46-Mill-Stories-640x425A film by Bill Shewbridge and Michelle Stefano has been selected to be screened at several prestigious film festivals in May and June. Produced by Shewbridge, professor of the practice of media and communication studies, and Stefano, visiting assistant professor of American studies, Mill Stories: Remembering Sparrows Point Steel Mill is a documentary based on the stories gathered through the “Mill Stories” project. The project seeks to document the sociocultural impacts of industrial decline and help amplify the voices of those affected by it in the Baltimore region.

The documentary has been selected to screen at three upcoming film festivals: the 14th Royal Anthropological Institute International Festival of Ethnographic Film (Bristol, UK, June 16-19, 2015), the 12th International Congress of the International Society for Ethnology and Folklore (SIEF) Film Program (Zagreb, Croatia, June 22-24, 2015), and the Workers Unite! Film Festival in New York City (May 19, 2015).

UPDATE 4/28: This event has been cancelled. The organizers are working to reschedule at a later date. For the latest updates, please visit baltimoretraces.org. Locally, on April 28, Mill Stories is scheduled to be screened at the Chesapeake Arts Center in Brooklyn Park from 6-8 p.m. For more information on the event, click here. For more information on the “Mill Stories” project, click here.

Erle Ellis, GES, Co-Authors Article on the Anthropocene in Science

erle_ellis_2012Erle Ellis, geography and environmental systems, co-authored a recent article in Science about the beginning of the Anthropocene. The Anthropocene refers to the part of the world’s history where humans significantly impact earth systems.

The article reviews differing views on how to ascertain the beginning of the Anthropocene, with some claiming that the epoch started in the 1700s and others favoring a 1945 start date. The authors address the debate and recommend using the term informally in order to identify specific time periods within the larger epoch. “In this way, we could avoid the confinement imposed by a single formal designation, yet acknowledge the long and rich history of humanity’s environmental transformations of this planet, both for better and for worse,” they wrote.

Click here to read “Defining the epoch we live in” in Science.

Additional coverage:

Careers in Aging Week Event: A Screening of Alive Inside (4/9)

Alive Inside movie
Thursday, April 9, 2015
3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Albin O. Kuhn Library and Gallery
Careers in Aging Week Event

Co Sponsors: Baccalaureate Social Work Program and the Erickson School of Aging

Featured Speaker Dan Cohen, Music and Memory.

About the film: ALIVE INSIDE is a joyous cinematic exploration of music’s capacity to reawaken our souls and uncover the deepest parts of our humanity. Filmmaker Michael Rossato-Bennett chronicles the astonishing experiences of individuals around the country who have been revitalized through the simple experience of listening to music. His camera reveals the uniquely human connection we find in music and how its healing power can triumph where prescription medication falls short.

This stirring documentary follows social worker Dan Cohen, founder of the nonprofit organization Music & Memory, as he fights against a broken healthcare system to demonstrate music’s ability to combat memory loss and restore a deep sense of self to those suffering from it. Rossato-Bennett visits family members who have witnessed the miraculous effects of personalized music on their loved ones, and offers illuminating interviews with experts including renowned neurologist and best-selling author Oliver Sacks (Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain) and musician Bobby McFerrin (“Don’t Worry, Be Happy”).

An uplifting cinematic exploration of music and the mind, ALIVE INSIDE’s inspirational and emotional story left audiences humming, clapping and cheering at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. For more information, click here.

Lia Purpura, English, to Present Reading at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts (4/10)

Lia PurpuraEnglish Writer in Residence Lia Purpura is scheduled to present readings from her new book It Shouldn’t Have Been Beautiful at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts on Friday, April 10 at 8 p.m. The reading will be part of an event with the Poulenc Trio, a Baltimore-based wind trio that has been presenting virtuosic performances for over a decade.

Purpura, whose work frequently appears in New Yorker magazine, will pair excerpts from her forthcoming book with a new arrangement for the Trio of Alfred Schnittke’s Suite in the Old Style. For more information on the event, click here.

Update: On the day of the performance, Purpura appeared on WYPR’s Maryland Morning with the trio to discuss her work. To listen to the full segment, click here.

Round Up: UMBC in the News 04/03

One of the things that makes UMBC great is how wonderful our alumni, students, faculty, and staff are. Because of these amazing people, UMBC often finds itself “in the news,” so each week, we’ll be sharing with you a round-up of the most newsworthy achievements from our community.

Read more at UMBC Insights!

Lt. Gov. Rutherford Visits Campus

Lt-Gov-Rutherford-2191Lieutenant Governor Boyd Rutherford visited UMBC on March 30 to meet with university leaders and students.

During his visit, Lt. Gov. Rutherford took a tour of UMBC buildings, including the Collaboratory, Commons and Library, and learned about UMBC’s progress and future needs. He also met with several Meyerhoff scholars to discuss their academic and career goals. Akua Nimarko ’15, biological sciences, said of the visit, “It was an enlightening experience to share my UMBC experiences and future plans with such an inspirational person.

Performance Management Process (PMP)

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March 31 marked the end of the PMP rating period (April 1, 2014 through March 31, 2015). UMBC requires supervisors to evaluate the performance of all regular/grant-funded exempt and non-exempt employees. The deadline for submission of the PMP forms to the Department of Human Resources is Friday, May 1, 2015.

For additional information, visit http://hr.umbc.edu/pmp/. If you have any questions, please contact Elmer Falconer at ext. 5-3645 or Shobhna Arora at ext. 5-1638.

Clothesline Project Display: Sexual Assault Awareness Month (4/8)

clothesline projectOn Wednesday, April 8th on the Commons Main Street AND the RAC from 10-4pm, the Women’s Center will be displaying the Clothesline Project in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. This display includes t-shirts with messages from UMBC community members over the years related to their experiences of sexual assault or relationship violence. This can be a powerful experience for passersby.

The display in the RAC will be part of the Retriever Heath and Wellness Expo.

Opportunities to contribute a t-shirt to the Project will be available in the Women’s Center prior to the 8th. For more information on dates and times, visit the Women’s Center’s myUMBC group page.

The UMBC student community is invited to join the Women’s Center staff for a workshop from 12-1pm on the same day on how to support survivors of sexual violence and work together as a community to cultivate a survivor-responsive campus. For more details on this workshop, visit the myUMBC event page.

For additional information, feel free to contact the Women’s Center at 410.455.2714 or email womens.center@umbc.edu. Information regarding the event, including an event flyer, can be found on myUMBC.

Take Back the Night 2015 (4/16)

In recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, join the Women’s Center, UHS Health Education and Voices Against Violence on Commons Main Street on April 16th at 6pm and let’s take back the night!

Events and activities include:

  • Community Resource Fair (beginning at 6pm)
  • The Clothesline Project
  • Survivor Speak Out Forum (begins at 6:30pm)
  • March Against Sexual Violence (begins approx around 7:20pm)
  • Art Activism and Community Building (post march)

Community members are encouraged to make rally signs prior to TBTN to show your solidarity with survivors. You can make signs in the Women’s Center between 12-3pm on April 13, 14 and 15.

#UMBCtbtn is the official Twitter event hashtag, so follow us there and post your pictures from the evening. Want to learn more about what Take Back The Night is? Visit www.takebackthenight.org for more information.

This event is co-sponsored by: The Women’s Center, UHS Health Education, and Voices Against Violence. For more information, contact the Women’s Center at womens.center@umbc.edu or 410-455-2714.

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